The Claw
The Python Maw or Python Paw '''is a three-pronged peninsula making up the northern half of the Irelenner region known as '''the Claw of Ires, which is itself a larger, distinct peninsula. As a political entity the greater region was known in ancient times as Phæþaan (sometimes rendered as [[Python|'Python']] in old Lobott), which was a loose collection of city-states. It is thus probably more correct to refer to that specific manifestation of the Claw as a political entity by the plural name "the Claw Cities." The three prongs are Kashi's Fingerfang, the Fatherkiller's Fingerfang, and Lacha's Fingerfang. There is another peninsula on the main Claw, known as the Fingernail Peninsula. It lies just north of Hangnail's Fjord, and the Broken Finger, as well as across the Hammerswing Strait of the Sea of Seventeen Sackings. Ires' Eastern Capital is its capital, largest, and most-populous city, followed by Smalltonne, which was built over the Claw Cities of Deylk and Yynginos. Heraldry: The Python Banner has been in continuous use more than any other heraldry on this Earth. The Python Arm charge of the flag represents the overwhelming, and vicious nature of the Claw's people, whom are not afraid to strike and draw blood, and will fight literally "tooth and nail" to its defense. The black and yellow are taken from Pilantine heraldry, which represents their origins in Pilat. The Python Arm's position, rearing up from the south, represents its origins in the Southern Empire. The Python Arm's tattoos/pattern number seventeen, and obviously represents the Seventeen Towns, with the eye representing Deylk. The blood represents the River Gold-Flake, and its tributary the River Lion. The bloody palm represents the Neyphirri River Valley, and how it nourishes the country, and also, once again, represents the people's bloodthirsty nature. The yellow stripe on three sides of the banner represents the bodies of water surrounding the Claw. The two "dry" regions on the bloody palm of the Python Arm represent Deylk The flag is also taken to represent the small, but important population of Onyxmen living in the Eastern Capital, as they act as the Mayoral Guard for the Mayor of Ires' Eastern Capital. These cheetah-headed men have arms that literally look somewhat like the Python Arm in the banner. History: The Claw has been settled by humans for tens of thousands of years, but its first civilized inhabitants were Pilantine colonists who finded the Seventeen Towns. Pioneers from these towns would go on to settle Ires, the Sarpland, and much of the near and Far West. Under the loose governance of the overall Southern Empire, the Seventeen Towns flourished whilst the rest of the civilization slowly languished. When the eruption of Mount Scorpion finally brought about the fall of the Southern Empire, the Seventeen Towns remained steadfast strongholds of their civilization. That is, until the birth of the infamous Fatherkiller, Yami Oyu, the first Lord Father of Ires. Yami Oyu was a man possessed, and before himself becoming a full-grown man, convinced his father to build up an army. Lord Kashi Oyu began waging a war against the near west, with relatively limited success, but when Yami Oyu turned eighteen, he killed his own father by poisoning his rice, and then went on to sack the Seventeen Towns. This conquest was nothing but the first of many in the Fatherkiller's War for Conquest, which saw him take over the Far West, and build the Great Bridge of the Far West. Unfortunately for the Fatherkiller, the Claw was the only such conquest that became a permanent possession of Ires. There are various reasons for this, from distance, to successful colonization on the part of the Iresmen, the good defensibility of the peninsula, the region's walled cities, but most important of them all is that the Iresmen want the Neyphirri River Valley very badly. The Neyphirri River Valley lies mostly on the southeastern banks of the River Gold-Flake, bordering the Neyphi Sarplanders, a client tribe which defend Claw farmlands and farmhands in exchange, primarily, for wives, as well as weapons, and cheap pricing for plots of pasture. This deal heavily favors the Ires'men' (Ireswomen, I ... don't think are particularly fond of it, to be frank), but both groups consider one another to be kinsmen. During the time of Tale of Zul, this relationship is becoming highly unstable, as Neyphi warchiefs are seeking to expand their borders in a manner not dissimilar to Ayeson's stonewar. They are not themselves adherents to the Faith of Calthoss the Shadow & the Shine, and so naturally believe that the Great Emperor of the Stone Come Again Claimant's campaigns are doomed, which they are. Beyond territorial ambitions, the Neyphi believe that the valley is rightfully their own. There are, of course, other, smaller, cultural issues. The Clawmen are becoming increasingly progressive, and some of them have taken on the odd belief that giving away Clawwomen to barbarians is somewhat, totally abominable. Of course, this has led to more arms ending up in Neyphi hands rather than women, which means that the Neyphi are becoming increasingly capable of defending themselves and their own territory, and so more confident. With confidence comes more and more ambition. This all leads to the Neyphi Coup in which the Neyphi take over the Irelenner government, overthrowing the patrimonic dukedom government, and surrender to the Vayessi Horde in exchange for recognition, and near-total autonomy, with the special privileges of being able to build a wall around Neyphi and Neyphirri lands, and mint and print their own currency. Category:Geography Category:States Category:Locations Category:History